


Your True Colours (are beautiful)

by ScarletSorceress



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace looks like a mini-Rouge, Ace recognises Sabo for the shittiest reason, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, By the Power of Hair Dye!, Garp needs a hug, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Portgas D. Ace is a Dork, Reunions, Sabo is a Mess, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:42:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarletSorceress/pseuds/ScarletSorceress
Summary: Who knew a lingering insecurity would be the key to bringing them back together?In other words; Sabo has black hair, Ace has blonde, Luffy is a mess and Garp is convinced Portgas D. Rouge has come back to haunt him. (She was a scary woman! He would not put it past her- oh wait, that's just Ace.)
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace/Sabo
Comments: 25
Kudos: 66





	1. Ashes

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt was: Sabo, as a kid, was upset he didn't have black hair like his brothers. So he proceeded to dye it terribly and face Ace and Luffy's heartbreak because they liked his hair!- Yvonna
> 
> ...I'll admit, this one got away from me slightly XD But please enjoy!

The sounds of the jungle swam around them, familiar and comforting as Luffy cried out. The two children were sparring together, or as close to sparring as you could get. Mainly it was Luffy trying to hit Ace whilst Ace laughed at his little brother's clumsy attempts. But it was peaceful, routine; the smell of dirt and jungle rot, the warmth of the sun on their skin, even the distant sounds of large animals stalking in the undergrowth. 

Familiar.

Routine.

If only they knew how badly their routine was about to fall apart. 

Heading back towards the treehouse, both boys walked with an urgency that hadn't been there when they sparred. Their blonde brother had felt sick when they woke up, and they were eager to check on him, see if he was any better. That didn't excuse them from hunting though, and they made sure to grab an alligator on the way home. 

With Ace doing much of the grabbing whilst Luffy mainly got digested. 

Alligator soup always cheered Sabo up when he got sick. 

Coming up to their treehouse, they deposited the gator next to their little firepit, ready to be chopped and cooked. 

"Oi! Sabo!" Ace called, readying the knife they stashed near the trunk of their tree. Gator hide was tough, but at least they could sell it later on. 

"Sabo! We're back!" Luffy cheered, running up to the bottom of the ladder, beaming as he waited for Sabo to show his face. 

Only he didn't. 

No sign of their blonde brother, not even a call from the house amongst the trees. 

Frowning, Ace paused in his butchering, turning to gaze expectantly at their doorway. Still no Sabo. 

"Oi, Sabo!" Ace called again, frowning deeper at the continued lack of response. "We caught dinner! Hurry up and come out!"

When their brother still showed no sign of coming down, Ace angrily got to his feet. They had done everything without their third man today, and it set something off in Ace's chest. He had been feeling unbalanced and jumpy all day, and he _hated it._ It was weird and frustrating, so when he marched over to the base of their tree, he would admit to being more than a little pissed off. 

Luffy watched him worriedly before scrambling up the tree before him, a frown taking over his usually cheerful face. It was true, out of the three of them, Sabo got sick most often, but it still was a rare occurrence. And never before had he been so bad he couldn't greet them when they came home. 

Scrambling through their door, Luffy could see a bundle of blankets that looked vaguely like his older brother, and there was a smell in the air that made his nose run and eyes sting. It was worse than the old people at the Grey Terminal! 

"Oi, Sabo, what's that smell?" Luffy asked, scrunching up his nose before scooting over to poke the brother-shaped lump on the floor. 

Ace scrambled in after him, wincing slightly as the smell got to him too. 

"It smells really bad whatever it is," Ace grumbled, reaching out to prod the Sabo-Lump with his foot. 

"Go away," the Lump grumbled, twisting itself into a tighter knot. 

So at least they knew Sabo was still alive in that thing. Though it was barely by the sound of it. 

"We're making Alligator Soup," Ace grunted, crossing his arms as he tried to glare the lump into submission. Not that he could really do much about that. 

"Yeah, it's your favourite when you're sick," Luffy chimed in, obviously proud to have remembered his brother's favourite comfort food. 

The Lump snorted, curling up even tighter. 

"'M not hungry, you guys go ahead."

Eyes going wide, Ace and Luffy traded glances, seemingly on the exact same page. 

If anything, Sabo got _hungrier_ when he was sick.

So something must really be wrong. 

Pouncing on top of the Lump that had swallowed their brother, Ace and Luffy tried to wrestle him free, tearing at the blankets as Sabo kicked and struggled. 

"Get out of the lump-"

"No! I like the lump-"

"Sabo needs to eat! Eating makes things better-"

"Only you think that Lu-"

"Oi, Sabo, get out the fucking blankets-"

"No! Fuck off Ace, I told you-"

"Sabo needs to eat!-"

"Leave me alone!" Sabo screamed, shoving both brothers off him as he finally emerged from the blankets, blue eyes dark with annoyance and another emotion that neither Ace nor Luffy paid much attention to.

Because their attention was stolen by something a bit more...noticeable.

"Sabo?" Luffy stared, hand trembling at his side as though he wanted to reach out, make sure it was real. 

"Who did this?" Ace growled, images flashing in his head. Because if someone had taken advantage of his brother whilst he was sick? Heads were gonna roll, no matter how many he had to beat down to get his revenge. Because this? This was just cruel and weird and _wrong_. 

Because where there used to be gold, was now an ashen black. 

Tight little curls were matted and stuck together, patches of black darker than the rest, some blonde still trying vainly to shine through the light grey spots. It was just so _wrong_.

"Sabo, who did this?" Ace grabbed hold of the previous blonde's shoulders and shook. "Did you go to High Town? You idiot, you should have stayed in bed!"

"Ace, shut up," Sabo muttered, eyes averted as his fists clenched in the blankets around him. 

"What happened to Sabo's hair?" Luffy asked, reaching up to try and tug the curls like they sometimes did. Sabo's hair had always been fun to play with, in those quiet moments where everything seemed almost, soft. But now, instead of springing back, they stuck and pulled, twisting Sabo's face into a grimace of pain as Luffy's fingers came away stained in ashes. 

"Nothing Lu, just forget about it," Sabo pleaded, starting to pull against Ace's hold. But Ace wasn't about to let him go without answers. 

"Sabo, who did this to you? Your hair is all black and weird!" Ace finally exploded, catching Sabo's glare with his own and throwing it right back. "Tell me what they looked like and I will hunt them down!"

"No, you fucking won't," Sabo scoffed, finally wrenching himself free enough to throw a blanket back over his head, covering his damaged hair from sight. 

But in this case, out of sight was not out of mind. 

"Sabo, your hair is ruined!" Ace protested, flinging out his arms as he tried to wrestle the blanket off of his brother's head. 

"Yeah! It's all smokey and weird!" Luffy chimed in, slipping between them to tackle Sabo in one of his full-body hugs. Wrapping himself firmly around Sabo like a koala, Luffy left the older boy no other choice than to lie there and accept it. 

"Well sorry for trying to look more like I belong!" Sabo snapped, a dull, angry flush heating his cheeks. 

Momentarily stunned, both black-haired brothers looked at each other. What on earth did Sabo mean by that? 

"It's so obvious that you two are brothers" Sabo continued, angry red growing stronger and stronger until all Ace and Luffy could do was stare. "I look nothing like you! Even if we go somewhere far away from here, where no one knows us...everyone will know straight away that you're brothers, and I-" 

Blazing blue eyes glared up at them, and Ace felt a pang in his gut as he saw what looked suspiciously like tears gather in the corner of Sabo's eyes. 

"...I won't be." Sabo finished lamely, all fight seeming to drain away as he buried his face in Luffy's hair. 

Ace bit his lip, for once, unsure about what to do. 

He'd never had to comfort Sabo. Not really at least. And it wasn't as though any of them ever doubted that they were brothers; they swore it! How long had Sabo felt like his appearance was something that marked him as not their brother? Had it been since they ran into the man that claimed to be Sabo's dad? 

"...You're our brother," Ace said firmly, reaching out to pat Sabo's ruined hair, grimacing as it crunched beneath his clumsy fingers. "Why would your hair change that?" 

"...I already look different enough," Sabo mumbled, patting Luffy's dark skin with his pale hand. "I just thought if I had black hair...I would look more like you." 

"That's dumb," Luffy mumbled, burying his face into Sabo's side. "I look like me, Ace looks like Ace, Sabo should look like Sabo." 

"Luffy's right," Ace agreed, rolling his eyes. Wasn't Sabo supposed to be the smart one here? "Why would you want to look like us? You should just look like you."

Sabo scowled up at him, flipping him off as he buried his face back into Luffy's hair. 

"...You wouldn't be questioned about it," Sabo muttered, tightening his grip on Luffy. "They'd question me. Maybe I didn't want that. Maybe I just want people to look at us and just see that we're brothers. See that we belong together and they can't take me away just because I'm the odd one out."

Sabo's shoulders were shaking. Luffy almost seemed frozen where he was, staring up at Ace with wide, worried eyes. And that told Ace all he needed to know. For the first time since they were five, Sabo had begun to cry. 

Sighing, Ace wished Makino was here. She would know what to say better than he did. He still didn't even understand what Sabo's point was. But he thought he might be beginning to. 

"...Hey Sabo?" Ace bit his lip, taking a deep breath before he ploughed on. "Is this to do with your dad? You don't want him to recognise you, so you thought making your hair black would trick him?" 

"...No," Sabo mumbled after a pause, shoulder hunched defensively but no longer shaking quite so badly. "I just wanted to look like my brothers."

Letting out a gusty breath, Ace was at a loss for what to do. He really didn't get what Sabo had meant, or what he could do to fix this. But he knew he wanted Sabo to go back to being Sabo, though how to go about it, he wasn't sure. 

"You are our brother," Ace punched him in the shoulder, trying to play it off as plans whirled in his brain. "Don't doubt that just because of some stupid hair colour." 

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, twisting his neck to beam up at Sabo's surprised face. "Sabo's our brother, and we like your blonde hair!"

"...Really?" Sabo whispered, keeping his eyes locked on Luffy's. With how terrible a liar Luffy was, it wasn't like Sabo was looking for a hint of a lie. But Ace couldn't figure out what he could be looking for. 

"Really really," Luffy grinned, finally untangling his arms to stretch up to the ceiling. "Sabo's hair was pretty! It was gold like the coins Shanks had!" 

Face flushing for a whole other reason, Sabo grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"I guess so," he chuckled before getting up to stretch as well. "So, what was that I heard about alligator soup?"

"Knew you were hungry," Ace ribbed, darting past his brothers to slide down the ladder first. He needed to finish butchering the alligator before Luffy decided to try and eat it raw. 

As he heard Luffy and Sabo scrambling behind him, he hoped things could go back to normal soon. He didn't want Sabo to have thoughts like that, it wasn't fair. Sabo was brilliant, a fantastic brother and friend. And if his hair colour was really bothering him that much...

Well. 

An idea was beginning to brew in Ace's brain. He was sure Luffy would agree to it. The younger boy hadn't exactly been wrong when he said they both liked Sabo's golden curls. 

And hey, Ace wasn't fussy about his appearance. It might even be fun to give the bandits a shock the next time he visited them. 


	2. Blonde

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A choice made in solidarity becomes a comfort after passing.

Makino had blinked at them, confused at first by their request. Though, once they had explained, she had been more than happy to help, stealing Sabo away with the lure of books before coming back to assist. 

They wanted this to be done correctly, after all. 

So whilst Sabo was stolen away in a world of words that neither Ace nor Luffy could understand; the D brothers set themselves to their task with gusto. 

Or as much gusto as they could, considering they had to sit still for forty minutes. And getting Luffy to wash properly was a nightmare and a half that Makino happily abandoned him to. Surely she didn't need to check up on Sabo at that very moment! 

Finally getting all the suds from Luffy's hair and running a towel roughly through his own, Ace grinned at the sight of them in the mirror. It may have itched like hell and smelt really bad, but it didn't _look_ half bad! 

He might even go so far as to say it looked good! 

"Ne, Ace? Can we go see Sabo now?" Luffy grinned, bouncing in place from excitement. 

Mirroring his little brother's grin, Ace pushed off from the counter, sprinting to the bathroom door, calling over his shoulder as he did so:

"Last one to Sabo sleeps with the bandits tonight!"

"Wah, Ace no fair!" 

Ace could hear Luffy scrambling behind him, but he was already out on the landing by that point. Not trusting his brother or his rubbery limbs, Ace vaulted onto the railings, sliding down the staircase till he could tumble off the bottom. Darting through the door to the bar as he heard Luffy crashing to the ground above him. Unable to stop the laughter in his chest, Ace skidding to a stop behind Sabo, ducking around copies amounts of books to flop into a chair next to him. 

Sabo, who had looked up at the commotion, simply gaped at him. Ace grinned back, laughing when Luffy tumbled into view, pouting as he jumped up to come towards them. But Sabo didn't look at Luffy, not even when he sent two chairs clattering to the ground. 

His eyes never left Ace's face. 

A burning sensation filled his cheeks as Sabo continued to stare at him; Ace wished he's just _say_ something. 

"What?" he grumbled, crossing his arms with a scowl—almost daring Sabo to say anything bad. 

"...you're...blonde..." Sabo whispered, eyes huge and blinking at him in what looked like shock. His hands twitched in his lap, almost as though he was restraining himself from reach out for Ace's hair. 

Hair that had turned a rosy blonde colour, almost peachy in tone. It turns out black hair didn't like being bleached, and the smell was unpleasant enough that Ace really didn't want to do a second coat of the stuff. Nor did he want to deal with a thrashing, water-logged Luffy again. 

So as much as they both had wanted to be blonde like Sabo, they'd take what they could get at this point. 

"Why are you blonde?" Sabo demanded, clenching his firsts as shock bled to anger in his eyes. 

"Why did you try and dye your hair black?" Ace retorted, scowling even harder as he resisted the urge the tug at his own hair. It would take some getting used to, the waves that fell in front of his eyes looked so strange to him. But he would get used to it. For Sabo, he would do anything. 

"Because I went temporarily insane and wanted to look like you," Sabo snapped, pushing his chair out with a loud scrape before rising to his feet. Back straight, hands-on-hips, blue eyes burning; looks like Ace had really pissed him off this time. 

"What's wrong with looking like me?" Ace squawked, catching the implied insult as he forced his face into Sabo's personal space. Using the extra few centimetres he had on his brother to his advantage, Ace glared down at him. 

"Apparently, a lot of things since you essentially told me I looked like shit!" Sabo pushed back, knocking their foreheads together as he ground his teeth. 

"Well, Makino helped us, and we both look like you now, so you can stop feeling like you don't belong over something as stupid as your hair colour!" Ace yelled, shoving Sabo's shoulders, pushing him back. 

Stumbling into his chair, Sabo quickly righted himself with a growl, coming back to tackle Ace into the nearest table. 

Scrambling to get a hold (because Sabo _bites_ because he's a cheat), Ace yanked on Sabo's jacket, trying to pull him off. But Sabo dug his fingers into Ace's ribs, planting his feet to try and throw Ace to the side. Going with the momentum but not giving his brother the upper hand, Ace flung himself away from the former-blonde, flinging his foot up to kick out at Sabo's chin.

They could hear Luffy's laughter in the background as he cheered them on, watching as they scrapped together. 

They both got a few more solid hits in before Makino came rushing in, evidently hearing their carnage from her cellar. When she saw they were fighting, the look on her face made Ace feel like a hole had opened up in his stomach. It wasn't a nice feeling. A feeling he'd only had once before when they realised how badly Porchemy had beaten Luffy; shame. 

"Sorry, Makino-san," Sabo mumbled, ducking his head as she came over to them. Raising their faces with gentle fingers, Makino smiled at them.

"Please don't fight in the bar, boys." She smiled, carding her fingers softly through unfamiliar hair. "Now, what were you fighting about?" 

Trading looks, Ace and Sabo bit their lips. It almost seemed stupid when confronted with Makino's gentle understanding. 

"Sabo didn't like that we dyed our hair too," Luffy chirped, strawberry blonde hair sticking out from under his hat. It was strange how they were only one shade away from each other. 

"Oh? Is that true, Sabo-kun?" Makino asked him, smoothing out the ashen curls where his dye was starting to fade. Thankfully it was a cheap aerosol dye; not meant to last more than a few days. The bleach Makino gave Ace and Luffy would last until their hair grew out. 

"I just...don't understand why they did it," Sabo mumbled, narrow eyes glaring down at his boots. Ace resisted the urge to smack him over the head, but it took all his willpower to do so. 

"They wanted to look like you," Makino smiled, patting him gently on the head. "Isn't that why you dyed your hair?"

"...yes," Sabo mumbled, his glare softening into something thoughtful. He glanced at Ace out of the corner of his eyes, then looked over at Luffy, still unabashedly grinning from the counter. "...but...this takes more effort than me dying my hair."

"So?" Ace snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering. "Are you trying to say you're not worth that effort? We _like_ your hair, dummy. Now that we've changed ours, do you see how dumb changing yours was?"

"Oi! It's wasn't dumb!" Sabo replied hotly, mimicking his brother's pose as Makino giggled between them. "What's dumb about wanting to look like we're related?" 

"You know who my parents were, and I've met one of yours," Ace pointed out dryly. "Why on earth does blood matter? We're brothers! That should be all that matters!" 

Sabo bit his lip, averting his eyes once more. And it almost made Ace want to shake him. How much more obvious did he need to be? Sabo was supposed to be smart!

"...all that matters, right?" He whispered, still looking at his boots. 

"Right!" Ace and Luffy echoed. 

A broken chuckled bubbled from their middle brother, gaining surety as he threw his head back and laughed. Trading looks with each other, Luffy began to grin too, leaving Ace to roll his eyes, smiling reluctantly. 

Honestly, he had such troublesome little brothers. 

"Sorry," Sabo chuckled, wiping his eyes before reaching out his hands to run his fingers through their hair. Awed at the rose-gold that glinted in the light of the bar. 

"Just don't be stupid next time, and we'll forgive you," Ace grunted, flushing under Sabo's touch. It still made his skin crawl, these peaceful moments they allowed now that Luffy was part of them. It almost felt like every touch was a scorching fire that burned a mark into his skin—leaving him empty and cold when they were taken away. 

"Right, I can't be stealing your and Luffy's job. There's only so much stupid this island can take before it sinks."

"Oi! I'm not stupid!"

"Yeah, neither am I!"

"Sabo! Stop laughing, you dick!"

"Makino! Sabo's being funny mean again!" 

* * *

Those moments Ace treasured? The aching, burning pain that felt so kind and sweet? 

Turns out he really wasn't allowed nice things after all. 

~~He burned _fireflamesheathurt_ god no, please no Sabo- ~~

Their grandfather was back. Apparently. 

Ace hadn't seen him yet. 

He wasn't sure if he even wanted to. 

Even at his worst, he had still looked forward to the shitty geezer's visits; they helped him test his strength.

~~Look where that strength got you. Luffy almost died because of you and Sabo-~~

Looking out over the ocean, Ace let his eyes slip shut. There was no point looking; he knew that. But he couldn't make himself stop either. 

Grief, according to Makino, was something that could tear him apart if he let it. 

_'Then why does it feel like I died with him?'_

Ace had never felt more whole. He was solidly himself, _and that hurt._ He had heard the grown-ups say he was walking around limbless. As if all his brother had been was his right-hand man. But it was so much more than that. 

They had always been Ace and Sabo, _Sabo and Ace_ , thick as thieves and terrors of the Terminal. He had been so much more than another of Ace's limbs. He had been Ace's mind, his soul, his heart; two bodies for the same person. And Ace had never felt so acutely aware of his own body; now he didn't have Sabo at his side. 

And it _hurt so much._

"It's been a long time since I saw someone look out to the ocean like that,"

Ace sighed, his head dipping lower. He would have shouted at his grandfather, but he just couldn't find the energy. Not right now. Maybe later. 

He felt the old man move to his side, lowering himself to sit on the cliff beside Ace. 

Together, they watched the sunset over Sabo's grave, golden fire setting the waves aglow. But this fire was gentle, soothing, and bright; it warmed his face, built his bones back from dust. Garp settled a large hand against his head, running his fingers clumsily through golden waves. 

Ace had gotten used to being blonde, but now even seeing his reflection was a reminder of what he had lost. They had done this for Sabo, and now, it seemed like a wasted endeavour. 

Had Sabo believed them before he died? Believed that they were brothers, no matter what the world would tell them? 

"Luffy was looking for you. I want to test you brats together, make sure your training is working," Garp tried again. 

Ace ignored him. 

'Make sure their training was working', huh? Yeah, right. If their training had worked, if they had been _strong_ , then Sabo would never have been taken from them. 

Garp sighed beside him before fumbling around. Ace didn't pay it much mind. The old man had just said he wanted to train the two of them together; he wouldn't pull out a weapon now. 

An unfamiliar weight settled behind his ear, startling him enough that silky petals caressed his skin. Turning to look at his grandfather, Ace could only frown in confusion, hesitant fingers feeling for the flower in his hair. 

Garp was looking at him as if he'd never seen him before. Shock, fear, _grief,_ a whirlpool of guilt that shook the fragile remains of Ace's heart. 

"...You look just like your mother did when she learned of Roger's execution," Garp sighed, eyes lingering on the golden waves, the freckles on his cheeks, the flower in his hair. 

The familiar anger at Roger burned in his stomach, but it wasn't as quick to explode as it once had been. Luffy's brush with death had tempered him in a way he'd never experienced before. Let him focus on the part beyond Roger. 

"...my mother?" Ace mumbled, coughing slightly to clear his throat. 

"Portgas D. Rouge," Garp muttered something that seemed close to regret tainting his words. "A fierce woman, a Queen by her own right, that would probably kick my ass for hiding you here as I did. A deceiving little minx that once swindled the Pirate King out of his wallet, his rum, and his heart. A mother with the warmest eyes I'd ever seen, and hair like the sunset across the ocean." 

Garp almost seemed to droop as he finally described Ace's mother. But that did nothing for the curiosity and _life_ that burned across Ace's brain. His mother...had done all that? Had she really stolen the wallet of ~~his father~~ The Pirate King?? 

The image of his mother had always been a shade; an empty, hollow thing, cursing his existence for killing her. Colour seeped into that image now. Garp had said Ace looked like her. A woman was taking shape in his mind, casting out the shades before with her warm eyes, sunset hair, and a smile that reminded him of Sabo. 

"Here," Garp pulled something from his pocket. A rolled-up piece of paper that, when unfurled, caused tears to sting Ace's eyes once again. The names didn't match (Garp had just said she'd been deceiving), but he could still recognise his own face, even when it belonged to the woman who gave birth to him. A flower sat perfectly in her golden waves, mischief in her brown eyes as she winked towards the camera. Shaking fingers pulled the flower from his own hair.

A perfect hibiscus, bloody red against his palm, lay between his trembling fingers. 

"It was Roger's last gift to her," Garp muttered, looking out to he sea, seemingly unable to look at Ace whilst he cried. "An eternal bloom, from the shores of Raftel." 

"...why would you give it to me?" Ace choked out, fighting his reflexing to clench his fists. He couldn't ruin his mother's treasures. He'd already ruined her life; he wouldn't ruin what remained of her. 

"You're her son," Garp shrugged as if that was all there was to it. "Children tend to inherit things from their parents. This is the legacy she left to you."

Legacy... That was something Ace was all too familiar with. _The sins of the father._ He had never wanted any part of Roger's legacy.

But this?

This was his mother's. 

So, hesitantly, Ace slipped the flower back into his hair, trying not to grimace at the strange sensation. Absently, he wondered whether Makino had any spare clips, like the kind she used to secure her headscarves. He didn't want to lose his mother's flower. 

~~Just like the letter pressed up close to his heart. He had already lost something too precious to ever have again~~

"Sometimes, people die," Garp murmured softly, his hand coming up to brace Ace's shoulder. Warm and large, it was surprisingly gentle; this whole talk was hurting his head. His grandfather had never been a peaceful presence in his life; large and boisterous and _loud_. So why was he so _quiet_ now?

"Sometimes, it's in a way you could never predict. But, it's important, to carry them forward, not get trapped looking back at ghosts."

"And you'd know that?" Ace snapped, finally feeling the familiar anger _burn_ the back of his throat and sting his eyes. "You didn't give two shits about Sabo, about any of us! You left us, off to be a fucking lapdog for the people that killed him, and now you come back, to lecture me like you understand shit all about _legacies. It's been two fucking months! Where were you?"_

 _"_ Idiot boy!" Garp slammed his fist on top of Ace's head, sending him careening to the dirt below. But when Ace's pushed himself up, ready to fight back, he paused at the look on Garp's face.

Tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks, grief and guilt and _rage_ aimed not at Ace, but the situation they found themselves in. His fists shook by his side, and for the first time in Ace's life, he could see just how old his grandfather looked in the fading light. 

"I may not have had him for long, but he was your brother! That made him my grandson," Garp said firmly, his voice staying strong even as the rest of him shook to the core. "Do you honestly think that I don't know what grief can do to a person?" 

They stared at one another, trapped in a stalemate as the wind rustled around them. The sea air wrapped around Ace like a gentle hug, a reminder to soothe the anger within him. But this was the first thing he'd felt in almost two months. The first time he had been able to see past the worthlessness that clouded his eyes like smog. 

Garp dropped heavily to the ground with a sigh, turning his eyes back towards the horizon, but making no effort to wipe his tears away. 

"I watched your mother after the news of Roger's execution. She might have wasted away staring at the sea, or waged war just to feel something again; had she not had you to protect. I saw my own son, who I had not spoken to for almost twenty-five years, come begging me to take care of his son whilst he tore the world apart looking for his wife. I buried her history, piece by piece so no-one could trace her back to Luffy. I have to see her face, _and lie to her about where her boy is_ , as the people I pledged my loyalty to, abuse her in front of me."

Ace could barely stand the bitterness and sorrow that clung to Garp's words. But he listened anyway. These private memories were the ghosts that haunted his grandfather. Ghosts of the family he couldn't protect. And now Sabo was added to that list. 

"Why do you still support the marines then? If you've seen all the horrible things they've done?" Ace asked, trying not to let the helplessness swallow him. He just couldn't understand why Garp stayed with them. or why he pushed Luffy and Ace so hard to join up with the Marines. 

"Because, for every rotten marine, there are ten rotten pirates. Because the marines gave me a purpose, so that I could help people," Garp turned to ruffle Ace's blonde hair, a touch of his usual heavy-handedness that gave Ace a blessed sense of normality. "Because sometimes, the best way to stay hidden is to hide in plain sight. All I want is for you and Luffy to be safe. The life of a pirate will only bring you both pain." 

"Better to die young and free, than old and caged." Ace murmured, looking at his grandfather with new eyes. How long had Garp served the marines? How long had he chained himself to their cause? 

How many family members had he lost because he couldn't let go of his 'duty'? 

And how was he gonna react, when he loses Ace and Luffy too? 

Garp gave a sad chuckle, rising to his feet and clapping Ace on the back. 

"Keep the hair, brat. It suits you," he called before heading back up the mountain. Looks like they'll be doing night training then. _Great_. 

Gazing back out to Sabo's grave, Ace wrapped a finger around his rosy-blonde waves. He supposed there were worse ways of carrying on the legacies that were actually important to him. And maybe this way, he could at least diminish a little of his grandfather's fears. 

After all, he'd take looking like his mother and Sabo over looking like Roger any day. 


End file.
